Wonder
by lionesseyes13
Summary: When Obi-Wan asks what Qui-Gon would have done with his life if he weren't a Jedi, the answer is surprising.


Author's Note: I don't really know what possessed me to write this, and this piece is really very short and rather pointless, but this is what passes for a story when finals suck all the creativity from me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't even own a plot, because, as far as I can discern, there isn't one.

Wonder

Qui-Gon looked up as his Padawan approached. He was sitting on a rocky cliff, watching the sea crash upon the rocks below and taking solace in that timeless rhythm that reminded him so much of his life with missions of varying difficulty as waves and lulls between missions. He was at the lull stage at the moment, having just completed a mission to the watery world of Colaccia, and he was going to enjoy the respite while it lasted. Tomorrow, he would leave for Coruscant, and, once he and Obi-Wan returned to the Temple, there was no telling when they would receive their next mission. It could be a day after they arrived, a week, or a month.

As he joined him, Obi-Wan gave him an inquisitive look, asking without words if his Master preferred to be alone. In answer, Qui-Gon patted the ground beside him and turned back to contemplate the waves once more.

Obi-Wan slid gracefully to the ground, tucking his booted feet beneath his knees and embracing his legs with his arms. Lately, Qui-Gon had seen that lean young body showing signs of maturity and knew that soon all the lankiness of youth would be covered with well-toned muscles. The breeze blew Obi-Wan's Padawan braid toward his back, and, for just a fleeting moment, Qui-Gon had a picture of Obi-Wan as a Knight, his braid shorn in that ancient ceremony. Then, the capricious wind shifted again and his Padawan was back.

"Master, do you ever wonder what you would have been if you weren't a Jedi?" Obi-Wan's voice was soft and reflective, the sounds of the waves obviously soothing him as they did his Master.

"Yes I have, my young Padawan, many times in fact." Qui-Gon's voice was just as quiet, but laughter lurked beneath that deep tone.

Obi-Wan's blue eyes remained focused on the ocean below, watching the white-capped waves as they swept in with a roar and then flowed out again with a whisper. "Well, what you have done, master?" A tiny note of impatience now marred the cultured tones, as Qui-Gon had expected. He still liked to provoke his serious young Padawan; it was one of the small joys in his life.

Qui-Gon took his time answering. He closed his eyes and let the sound of the waves envelope him as he considered Obi-Wan's question.

Finally, just as he sensed Obi-Wan's impatience beginning to grow he answered, "I'd be a farmer I guess-- a farmer on a gentle planet like Alderaan. I would live in a tiny village, and I would marry a pretty girl. Together, we would have lots of children. Our boys would grow big and strong and help me in the fields before they married and had families of their own. Our daughters would be as pretty as their mother and I would be kept busy chasing away the village idiots who thought they were good enough for them." Qui-Gon paused before continuing wistfully, "But my wife would be the boss; she would rule the household and have me twisted around her finger. She would look up at me, point her finger at me when I did something she didn't like, and she scold me."

He shook his head, banishing that happy vision.

Obi-Wan finally turned away from examining the loud water below them. "Do you wish you had that life, Master?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Qui-Gon shook his head firmly. "No, I've become a farmer of sorts anyway." He laughed at Obi-Wan's confused look and added,"I grow baby Jedi, don't I?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, nodding his agreement. As he did so, he lowered himself to the ground and simply lay there, gazing up into the blue sky with its fluffy white clouds. Far away, he could hear the gentle songs of birds singing. He raised himself up on one elbow and faced his Master.

"Baby Jedi, huh? I suppose I was a particularly hard crop to grow?" he smirked.

"No, you were perfect, my young apprentice," said Qui-Gon gently. " You, like all growing things, required love and attention. Of course lots of water and food-- lots and lots of food, in your case-- were essential, too."

Obi-Wan returned to his observation of the ocean. He turned his face into the breeze and closed his eyes, enjoying this rare moment of peace and tranquility. "Master?" he whispered after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, Padawan?" Qui-Gon's voice was infinitely patient.

"I think you're a good farmer," Obi-Wan murmured.


End file.
